


Secret

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-22
Updated: 2003-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 05:23:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1633736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Neville's got a secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Written for akire

 

 

Title: Secret  
Pairing: Neville/Draco  
Notes: Thanks to my betae -- I'll credit in my livejournal after the first. 

Neville had a secret. The boys in the Lower Sixth's dormitory could tell, Hermione could tell, perhaps Ginny could tell. That was about it, though. Most people didnt pay close enough attention to Neville to know when he was acting strangely, but those people close to him knew something was different, even if they couldnt say exactly what was going on. 

He would smile strangely off into space, he hadn't slept in his own bed in days, and he vanished for hours at a time on the flimsiest of excuses (even Hermione didn't spend 6 hours in the library on a Friday night). He wouldn't answer questions -- sometimes, he didn't seem to hear them. He'd been caught staring off into space during Herbology twice in one class. 

It was this last that alarmed Hermione. Harry and Ron didn't think anything was dreadfully wrong, but Hermione wanted to know. She _very badly_ wanted to know. The Marauder's Map was no help -- Neville must have gone off the grounds, she decided. She tried borrowing the Invisibility Cloak -- no go. He lost her past a moving staircase after only five minutes. Straightforward asking did no good; he didn't seem to notice the question. 

Hermione settled back to watch and wait, thwarted. 

She saw another opening two days later, at breakfast. Neville was staring down into his eggs, apparently fascinated. "Neville?" she asked tentatively. 

He grunted, taking his eyes off his plate and looking at her for a moment. It was more response than she'd expected, heartening her. 

"What's going on?" she asked. 

Neville seemed to be thinking deeply about the question. "Breakfast?" he finally said uncertainly. 

Hermione smiled at him, although she felt like hitting him over the head with his own plate in frustration. "No, I mean more generally," she said kindly. "Where have you been going? Why are you so distracted? Is Malfoy giving you a hard time again?" 

Neville started at the mention of Malfoy. "No!" he blurted. He seemed to visibly calm himself. "No, Malfoy hasn't been giving me trouble," he said. "Why would you think that?" 

"Oh, it's just habit, I suppose," said Hermione airily. "You know how he and Harry are." 

Neville grinned. "If Harry just wouldn't respond --" 

Hermione laughed. "I know! But he _will_ get so angry, and you know that's what Malfoy wants. Honestly!" 

Neville smiled back, then swung his leg over the bench. "Sorry, Hermione, have to run," he said apologetically. 

Hermione was left sitting there for several minutes, openmouthed at being outmaneuvered. But she remembered the reaction that her mention of Malfoy had got, and decided to watch him, as well. 

Malfoy was much more difficult to watch, however. She couldn't track his common room, couldn't watch him outside of meals and classes, couldn't exactly _talk_ to him about his life. Hermione did notice, though, that Malfoy disappeared from the Map at the same time that Neville did. 

She worried. 

"Ron?" she said the next day in the common room. "Harry? Has Malfoy been acting oddly lately?" 

Harry looked at her strangely. "Why would you ask us?" 

"Yeah," said Ron after a moment of deep thought. "He's been quiet. _Too_ quiet. And he was looking at Neville funny last Sunday breakfast. Plus I think he's lost Slytherin some points." He thought. "Twenty-five. Possibly thirty." 

Harry stopped looking at Hermione and began looking at Ron. Hermione blinked. "Oh," she said weakly. "Well, thanks, Ron." 

"Why do you know that?" asked Harry. 

"Oh," shrugged Ron, "I just keep an eye on the ferret, is all." 

"Ohh-kay," said Harry, stretching out the syllables. 

"Okay, thanks," Hermione said again, trying to forestall the argument she could see coming. She wasn't quick enough. 

"What are you trying to imply?" said Ron belligerently. 

"Oh, nothing," said Harry. "I was just wondering what kind of nancy boy knows so much about Malfoy, that's all." 

"Nancy?" bellowed Ron. "Nancy!" He sputtered, seeming unable to come up with a response to that. 

"I'm sure Harry didn't mean it like that, Ron," said Hermione. 

"Oh, no," muttered Harry, "not at all. Just tell me, Ron -- does Malfoy snore?" 

"No," said Neville unexpectedly. They turned from their argument to gape at him. He was sitting in an overstuffed chair, reading. He didnt seem to notice their attention for a moment, then looked up. When he saw their gaping jaws, he blushed so deeply it looked like it hurt. "Er, did I say that out loud? About Malfoy snoring?" 

Hermione nodded silently. He blinked at them silently for a long minute. 

Then he bolted. He was out the portrait hole before any of the trio could even pick their chins up off the floor, let alone follow. 

They stared at each other in mute horror. Hermione, for one, had no idea what to say. Ron and Harry seemed similarly afflicted. 

"Did he just --" Hermione started. 

Ron nodded. 

"But how would he --" Hermione tried again, but cut herself off. She looked at Harry, looked at Ron. They looked back at her. She shook her head in mute denial. 

Harry nodded. "I could go kick his arse, if you like," he offered finally. 

Ron brightened. "Yeah!" 

"No," said Hermione dully. "Mustn't beat up Neville's --" she gulped, " -- boyfriend. It's not sporting." 

Harry and Ron looked deeply unhappy. 

"Much," she added, and watched them brighten. 

 


End file.
